Ronin [Blu-ray]

I've owned a few different copies of this, from the original dvd to the recent remaster, but the 4K disk is a big step up. Stunning image, well worth the upgrade.

Ronin came along at a time when the spy genre was finding its second wind. 007 had bombastically come back to screens, Mission:Impossible was reimagined for the movies in a fine romp, whilst The Saint proved that Val Kilmer was NOT Simon Templer. And then there is Ronin. A film that could not have been more different than the fun, and naive films of the same genre. Right from the moment we hear Elia Cmiral's score, we know this isn't going to be a fun breezy romp, but a slick, old school reminder on how said films were perceived in the 70s. Hard hitting with its visceral car chases, and unapologetic of its violence and of its, frankly, ridiculous plot and Macguffin, Ronin should have been a welcome reminder that mixed the hard bitten post Cold War mentality with the star stunned international caper romps of the 60s. Instead Ronin became a film that was perceived as a dark and cynical, totally the opposite of action romps like Tomorrow Never Dies and was no small surprise it had difficulty finding its audience. I remember first seeing Ronin on opening day in September 1998, and right from the outset this was a film that stood apart from other blockbusters of the era... Dark, minimalist, unapologetic, beautfiully shot, and brilliantly paced... Ronin was the perfect antidote to the likes of Armageddon and Godzilla. However instead of wowing audiences, the film was pulled out of my local cinema a week later to make way for Spielberg's overrated war epic Saving Private Ryan. Thankfully home video was a mainstay and the film found its audience soon enough.Ronin was always a controversial choice on DVD and Blu-Ray, with the first pressings of each format in the late 90s and late 00's leaving a lot to be desired with a terrible soundtrack for the former and a gaudy cheap picture quality for the latter. Arrow Video (I'm still surprised they have released this film) thankfully brings the film to the upper echolon's it deserves, with a brilliant DTS-HD soundtrack that was used in the original blu-ray release, and a 4K transfer that leaves previous presentations of 90s classics out in the cold. The picture quality is superb and I really doubt it would be impoved. Dark settings and shadows are beautifully realised, the muted colours are natual and never crushes the image. Grain is obviously evident due to the fact that this was shot on celliloid and actually emphasis the gritiness of the film and I'll take even grain over DNR anyday of the week.The extras (with the exception of a few interviews) have been ported over from the MGM 2 disc edition DVD released over 10 years ago, and its great to see them here finally on blu ray.Ronin really is a strange character of a film, sure it harkons back to some of the action films of the 70s, but it also anticipates the return of the said cynical, hard hitting films of the past as would be exemplified by The Bourne Identity. The initial Bourne trilogy may have been a phenomenon that rewrote the rules of the genre, but Ronin tried to do it first.

The direction, the acting and the cinematography of this film, sets it apart as one of the best films of the nineties.The dialogue is top notch and the story telling superb.If you want an ace evening with a beer or three, Ronin will see you there!5 Stars, a thriller to beat all others. Try it out.You won't be disappointed.

I am a great fan of Ronin, I have seen t a fee times but never owned the DVD and the version with the 5.1 soundtrack appealed to me. The Director used genuine vehicle noises in the production, i.e. the Audi sound is from the right Audi It is a tale of love, hate, Violence and most of all honour. But by now I sure most of you knew that.This seller has the disc much cheaper than anyone else, it was new and sealed and the communications with the seller were first class. Prompt and polite replies along with the reassurance that they will go out of their way to resolve problems take the gamble out of buying from a non Amazon seller. I have lad less favourable experiences in the past but this seller has restored my faith.I am finishing wringing this then sitting down with a to cups and going to enjoy the movie in glorious sound.Thanks Windmill DVD's.

Arrow's new 4K master done for this release is just awesome. it blows the old blu-ray out of the water!picture quality is (almost) perfect and it holds up amazingly beautiful on a bigger screen. the movie finally got the treatment it deserves. Rich in detail, nice natural grain pattern, almost perfect sharpness, strong colors and good black levels... thanks to Arrow!I am not a 100% sure if the sound got a new mastering as well... to me it sounded better than the old one, but this can be just my imagination. The sound comes in 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio.Extras are plenty and interesting.There is a site called caps-a-holic. check it out if you are not sure wether the picture quality is such an upgrade indeed and see for yourself!

The brand new Arrow release is great.The 4k remaster albeit at 1080p on blu ray is clean, with film grain retained. The night time scenes have been properly regraded with contrast ramped up a little to really show off the dark streets and stark headlights in the Paris based scenes. Daytime locations like Nice and Arle look really fresh and close shots on actors are pristine. The soundtrack also showcases great depth amongst the talkie and action scenes alike. Loved it.The disc opens with the haunting Ronin theme played over a montage of clips and the whole package has been presented with an evident love for the film itself and the craft of the professionals who shot it, acted in it and directed it.The booklet is a superb keepsake rounding off a brilliantly produced edition of a 90's classic.

good acting good story and some great action scenes, shame it wasnt HD on prime